Ghosts of the Past
by Xx.-.Izanami.-.xX
Summary: His army is falling to an unknown force. When the great Lord of the West Sesshomaru sets out to eliminate this threat, he did not plan on finding someone from his past...


**Hey everyone! Well, I am back with my second story and this time it is an OC and Sesshomaru (who else? lol) I think it is pretty good, in my own opinion, anyone who has read my other story "A Demon's Love" will see that this one is written alot differently. I am really trying to push myself to write better and this story will definitely test that. Not sure how long this one will be, definitely longer than my other one though. Well anyways, read, enjoy and review! I love reviews! lol**

**Also: For anyone who is reading my other story, I promise I have not abandoned it. Just came across a bad case of writers block with only 2 chapters left, ugh! So I figured I would write on this one for a bit and then pick the other one back up. **

**Dislaimer: Don't own it, if I did I would be rich right now!**

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><p>Her misty grey eyes roved across the countryside from her vantage point high atop a cliff. The browns of the fields and the evergreen of the forests beyond held nothing out of the ordinary. Yet, she could <em>feel<em> that something was out of place. She slightly flared her youki, searching for any signs of unrest in the area, but yet she found none. This did nothing to quell the knot she had in the pit of her stomach. For the last few hours she had felt something amiss, something had drawn her back to the North, to her father's land which she had not been to in centuries. The cool spring wind blew her cyan locks into her eyes, momentarily obscuring her vision. In it she could only scent the smell of the newly awakened flowers and foliage that had started to cover the land in its beauty. Pushing her thick locks behind her ear, she momentarily cursed the fact that her sense of smell was not as superior as some breeds of youkai. However, she did not need smell to determine that something was wrong, and it seemed to be calling her back to her childhood home. Deciding that she had spent enough time delaying the inevitable, she pushed off from the rock cliff face and began to soar through the air at frightening speeds.

The nearer she drew to her father's castle, the heavier the weight in her heart became, and she quickened her pace until the landscape blurred into hues of green and brown. She drew her lips together in a fine line, preparing for what was awaiting her when she reached the source of her concern. It was not until she reached the lush valleys that bordered her father's castle that her heart sank. The smell of blood hung thick in the air, and it was fresh. It assaulted her senses like a great wave, nearly causing her to lose concentration and plummet to the earth below. She sucked in a greedy breath and her heart nearly stilled. She recognized this blood, it was her father's, but it was marred by that of hundreds of others making the coppery scent so strong in the air she nearly had to draw her hand over her nostrils. She stopped her trek, and tried to get a bearing on the situation, concern etching onto her delicate features.

Confusion and an emotion she had not felt in centuries coursed through her mind: fear. It gripped her heart like frozen claws, and replaced her blood with ice. What had happened at her childhood home? Her thoughts immediately shifted to her father, his face coming to her mind in memories long since passed. The great dragon demon lord of the North, Lord Eiji. He was older than any other taiyoukai in Japan and certainly one of the most powerful, what could have happened to him? What enemy is there that had the strength to make him bleed?

Her mind drew a blank as she felt an overwhelming urge to reach the castle; it felt as though time slowed to a standstill as she crested the final peak, finally laying eyes on the castle she had not seen in nearly a century.

The sloping tiled roof rose up above the surrounding scenery, jutting out like a massive peak above the gentle slopes of the lush green valley. Its gold accented decorations gleamed and danced in the noon sunlight, sparking tiny diamonds in her peripheral vision. Seeing the mansion after so long momentarily hinted at a sense of nostalgia, which was quickly overtaken by her looming sense of dread. As she drew closer, she could see the reason her heart had felt so ill at ease.

Hovering slightly over the sprawling traditional Japanese manor, her heart drummed loudly in her chest at the sight before her. The ground was stained red with hundreds of her father's soldiers laying slain about the castle grounds. They lay in piles of mangled and battered corpses, and she could almost hear the blood that had not congealed dripping from their mortal wounds. She swallowed the growing lump that was forming in her throat, and lowered herself to the ground, her boots making a slight squishing sound as she landed in one of the many sticky, stagnant pools of blood. All around her was a field of corpses, the blue and black armor of the North now stained with the deep dried crimson blood of battle. So many of them were here, it appeared as though they had waged battle against an unimaginable foe, but something was off to her. The Northern army was one of the best trained and well prepared forces on the whole continent, what or who could have wiped such a number of them out? But even more disturbing was the fact that she saw so many Northern troops but hardly any of the invading force. Turning her eyes around the gruesome sight before her, she trained her sight upon a soldier. Entangled in the mass of blue and black clad bodies, his armor stood out from the rest.

It was white and red; the colors of the West.

Her jaw fell open in disbelief and she felt her chest constrict, causing the frantic beating of her heart to become all the more prevalent. With cautious, deliberate steps, she made her way over to the lone soldier, searching for others wearing his colors as she maneuvered over the piles of bodies littering the courtyard. There were so few of the Western troops, only several dozen or so lay slain scattered around her fallen brethren, where as their numbers must have been in the thousands. And these soldiers were all in her father's private guard, the elite force that protected the castle, and the most highly trained regiment in the entire army. Immediately her mind came to a swift conclusion, this must have been an ambush; that was the only explanation that would fit with the conspicuous lack of Western casualties.

Drawing nearer to the soldier that had caught her eye, she paused when she felt a strong youki coming from the steps leading up to the castle. In a fluid motion she reached up to the sword that rested on her back. The Kageken, her father's sword, it had been passed down for generations and now Kiyomi was the owner. The ebony blade pulsed with energy as she stood silent, searching for any signs of danger. Tension soared through her body, her elfish ears twitched slightly, trying to focus on any sound that would alert her to a threat. Searching around the vast courtyard, she trained her eyes on any sign of movement, but it seemed that the threat of death had sucked all the life from the space, not even a gust of wind disturbed the grounds. She was so on edge that she did not sense how familiar this aura was until she felt it weaken. In that moment, her eyes widened as she caught scent of who it belonged to: her father. His aura was waning rapidly and she launched herself in the air, skimming over the top of the piles of bodies. She crossed the vast courtyard in a fraction of a second before coming to rest in front of the prone form of her father. Metal striking stone resounded through the eerily quiet courtyard and reverberated off the massive stone walls that surrounded the castle, before she went to her knees beside her father. Gently she grabbed his shoulder and pulled him onto his back, sucking in a breath of disbelief as she gazed upon her once powerful father. There was a massive gash across his torso, thick blood still oozing from the wound and his entire body was littered with deep cuts too numerous to count.

"F…Father?" Her voice was shaky and hoarse as she gently nudged him, fearing the worst when she gained no response.

With great effort, his steely grey eyes that so closely resembled her own opened, unfocused and veiled from the energy escaping his body. His long flowing green hair was matted with blood and dirt, and in that moment he no longer resembled the pillar of strength she had always associated with her father. He looked more like a beggar, too many years of famine and war taking their hold on his frame.

"Kiyomi?" His voice was soft, barely audible as a look of pain crossed his features from the effort of finding his voice.

"Father…please, do not talk. I will get help!" She made a move to rise from his side, but she felt an almost imperceptible pressure on her wrist. Looking down she saw that his hand was trying to grasp her, but all he could manage was a slight grip.

"My daughter…your mother and your…" he took in a rattling breath and blood oozed out of the corner of his mouth with every syllable uttered.

Kiyomi extended a delicate clawed hand and placed it upon her father's shoulder. "Please papa…" She felt her eyes burn as she called him by the name she had for so many years when she was small.

A glassy look crossed his eyes as it seemed to take all his strength to utter the rest of his sentence. "Your mother and sisters…they are in the castle. The West…attacked." A cough ravaged his body, causing the stream of blood coming from his abdomen to start leaking with more fervor than it had before. In a desperate attempt to stem the blood flow, Kiyomi placed her hand over the wound, wincing when she felt broken bones and exposed organs shift beneath her palm as she applied pressure to the ragged gash. The sticky crimson liquid flowed over her pale skin and dripped into the rapidly expanding pool beneath him.

"The West? But why? I am sorry father; I should have been here to protect the North. Forgive me." She gritted her teeth at the thought of being unable to protect her country that had been so ravaged in her absence.

The slightest of smiles came across his blood spattered face. "There is nothing to…forgive."

He gave one final rattling breath before all the light faded from his eyes and his body went lax.

A shudder went through her frame as she felt his body still beneath her fingers, his flesh already losing what little warmth it had. Shaky hands balled into fists, the blood of her father mixing with her own fresh blood as her claws dug deep into the soft flesh of her palm. The stinging in her eyes felt like a million tiny pinpricks, but she drew back her pain. She channeled her sadness into anger and vengeance, letting it consume the cold in her body, replacing it with a raging inferno. She would not allow such a weak emotion to overcome her, it was not fitting for an heir to the North; to mourn the dead was something only humans did. Even as she told herself this, she could not draw any conviction from the statement. Her tightly balled fists slammed into the ground at her side, causing a splatter of blood to cover her rugged blue kimono. It was not supposed to be like this! Even in her older years she thought her father invincible, a seemingly naïve conception as she looked at his paling form before her.

The invasion had been so sudden and unexpected he had not even had time to transform into his true form. A massive green scaled dragon that would have been able to easily deal with these insignificant pests. It seemed almost shameful that he would die in his human form, someone as great as her father deserved a glorious death, not to be struck down at the hands of cowards. His words echoed in her ears…the West had attacked without warning, but it made no sense to her. The Northern and Western territories had been allies for generations. Surely there was some mistake, it was too hard for her to accept this new bit of news, even with overwhelming evidence. Lord Sesshomaru was bloodthirsty and cruel, but surely he was not capable of this sort of treachery? It had to be some other monster that had perpetuated such violence to her country. She pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind, first she had to attend to her mother and sisters, only then would she figure out what had happened.

Rising slowly to her feet, she looked to the entrance of the castle and slowly walked through the massive wooden doorway.

A similar scene was spread throughout the castle. Northern soldiers lay in pools of rapidly thickening blood, broken spears and rusted swords littered about the ground around their bodies. Around them lay the bodies of numerous unarmed servants, struck down without warning and utterly defenseless. The unnatural silence only served to amplify the ethereal feel of the once bustling castle. Muted rays of sunlight crept in through the rice paper walls, catching the glint of metal every now and then. She followed the trail of bodies back to her parent's private chambers but her steps slowed when she saw the pile of soldiers slumped in front of the shoji screen that had been ripped from it's frame and now lay broken over the bodies of her father's elite guards. The scent of her mother and sister's blood had permeated the air outside the castle, but now the scent was so strong it threatened to turn her stomach. As the smell invaded her senses, what little hope of them being alive quickly left her, making her head swim with the realization. She closed her eyes tightly and breathed in slowly, mentally preparing herself for what she may find once she entered the desecrated room.

However no amount of preparation could have stemmed the breaking of her heart as she came upon the sight of the remainder of her family.

Her mother's still form sat semi-upright, jagged gashes laced her neck, so deep they had nearly severed her head from her body. Dried blood covered the entirety of her formal blue kimono, turning it a sickly brown color, and her hand still held tightly onto her Hikariken, the heirloom sword of the North. Locks of azure hair covered the majority of her face and were plastered to the blood around her neck and her torso. Her once regal and unblemished wings that jutted out of her back now lay torn from her body, their pure white color and silky soft feathers were marred with the splatters of blood. The sight of her sisters however, was the breaking point for Kiyomi. Behind the gnarled form of her mother, lay two small bodies on top of each other, the identical shade of aqua hair enveloping them in an unearthly curtain. A spear was still shoved through their torsos, pinning them permanently to the crimson colored bamboo floor. They were only 100 years old, merely ten in human years. Her twin baby sisters Arisu and Manami had died while her mother had desperately tried to defend them to her last breath. Suddenly she stumbled back, knocking the sword from her mother's hand and causing it to clang loudly to the floor. She backed up to the corner of the room and slowly passed a hand over her face, pleading for the image to leave her vision.

Her eyes burned with a ferocity she had never experienced, and she drew her shaky fingertips up to her eyes. Passing her fingertips back into her vision she saw that they glistened with moisture, the act of crying was so foreign to her that she had forgotten what it felt like. A weight descended onto her, and it felt as if the very earth had been pulled from beneath her feet. She had tried to be strong, to not show her weakness, but being confronted with the scene before her was more than she could bear. Falling into a crumpled heap in front of her mother, she rested her head in her lap, the sticky ichor of blood fusing with her hair and her tears. It felt as if she would cease breathing that very moment, the effort of drawing in another breath almost becoming too painful as her body shuddered against her mother's still form.

A noise from behind her brought her tears to a cease, and faster than the eye could follow, she had grabbed her mother's sword and had the deadly tip pressed up against the soft flesh of the intruder's neck.

Frightened violet eyes met ferocious gray ones.

"Who are you?" She screamed in the trembling soldiers face, her eyes darting wildly around his features, looking for any signs of familiarity. Rage had replaced all of her sadness making her almost incoherent, and she did not notice the familiar colors of the North gracing his uniform. Her vision was swimming with uncontrolled wrath, and the beast within her was coming through in the black tint that stained the outer edge of her irises.

A small frightened voice barely managed to choke out a reply beneath the weight of the deadly steel pressed into his jugular.

"M..My Lady. I am no enemy, but a loyal servant to the North!"

Reeling back her anger at his words, but keeping the sword prone for attack, she took in the form of the bruised and bloody, but otherwise unscathed, soldier in front of her.

"What happened here?" The timbre of her voice lost none of its deadliness as she inwardly scoffed at the convulsing heap of demon in front of her.

When he remained silent, she angled the blade slightly, drawing small drops of blood from where it pierced his flesh. At the moment she had no concern for his comfort, her heart was hardened to a point of no return.

"Answer me or your life will be forfeit!"

"It was the Western army my Lady!" He squirmed under the pressure on his neck, but Kiyomi drew her clawed hand to his shoulder, securing him in place against the wall. "L…Lord Sesshomaru and his army attacked without warning, they were upon us before we had a chance to formulate a defense! He was the one who slain your family!"

As his words finally registered, she let her blade falter and clatter to the floor, her claws clenched as if frozen into place. The frightened soldier took his chance and took several steps away from the furious demoness, grabbing at the small cut that was on his neck, rubbing the blood from his pale flesh.

There was no reply she could formulate, no thoughts came to her mind, only a blank rage engulfed her entire being, blurring her vision and making her blood boil at the news of the betrayal.

'_How could he?'_ The thought ran over and over in her mind, seemingly the only coherent question she could formulate.

Her eyes were not focused, merely darting around the room in a desperate attempt to make sense of the events that had unfurled and the information she had been given. Sesshomaru had _betrayed_ the North, his long time allies, and had ruthlessly slaughtered her family. Her breathing was quick and shallow, and her head was beginning to pound.

A slight whimper came from the soldier in front of her, and she locked eyes with him.

"Why?" Her question came out raspy and forced, like it took all of her effort to formulate the word.

The simpering soldier scrunched his face up, seemingly searching his memory before bowing his head. "I do not know my lady."

"How is it that you escaped? Did you not stay and defend the North? Did you not defend my _**family?**_"

"My lady, I went with a group of survivors of the attack to track the Western army's movements. They have entered the Western lands and seem to be returning back to the castle." A look of disdain mixed with sadness overcame his violet eyes. "I tried to defend your mother and sisters, but I was too late. I have failed the North, forgive me."

Kiyomi's teeth ground together with such force that the sound filled the whole room. There was only one emotion coursing through her entire being at this point: revenge.

"Send word to the nearby towns, bury the dead. My family are to be placed in my ancestor's tombs, do not fail in this task." The words came out hollow and soft, and her eyes were misty and unfocused.

A slight nod came from the soldier as he listened to her orders. Her eyes closed as the last tear she would ever cry fell slowly down her cheek before her eyes opened with a coldness and ferocity that made him wince. Wordlessly, she began to make her way out of the room, when his voice stopped her.

"My Lady, what will you do now?"

Halting and picking up the glowing ivory blade and it's discarded sheathe from the ground, she shoved it into her armor, resting it securely next to the Kageken, and tilted her chin up ever so slightly, her eyes were focused on some random point in the background as she turned to face him.

"I will avenge the North. I will destroy their army and their treacherous _Lord Sesshomaru._" The name slipped from her tongue with so much venom, she could practically taste her hatred.

The sounds of him scurrying out of the room barely registered to her, the blood was rushing through her veins with the volume of a tsunami. It seemed like every heartbeat crashed against her chest with the weight of a thousand bricks. There was nothing now inside her, all the agony, sorrow and pain were drowned out by her entire being's call for vengeance. She moved forward through the castle almost automatically, her feet leading her to a destination her mind had not yet registered. As she drew to a stop, her eyes finally recognized where her feet had led her, it was her old room. The fragile wood cracked and splintered beneath the force of her claws as she ripped off the delicate screen, burying several splinters deeply into her hand, but she did not feel the pain.

Without thought she peeled her blood sodden and dirt covered kimono off her body after her dragon scale armor had fallen to the floor with a loud clang. If she had of been in a better state of mind, she would have recognized that aside from the broken shoji screen door, her room was unscathed and in the exact same array it had been when she left so long ago. However, all of her control was spent on keeping her beast at bay; it would not do to waste such power before her enemy could witness it.

She was a ruthless and proficient killer, trained by her father to be the epitome of strength. She was his heir; having no other sons to pass the kingdom on to, it fell upon Kiyomi to take on the duties of running a kingdom. Her sex had not spared her any sympathy, the training sessions with her father were long and grueling, and she could recall many days where he had to carry her back to her room, having been so drained of strength her legs would not support her young frame. However, her father was far from cruel; he was a revered leader, who balanced his strength with compassion, a trait learned from her mother and passed on to Kiyomi as well. It was in a celestial's nature to be compassionate, an increasingly rare trait among demons, yet it was that which made the North thrive and prosper. Her frame slumped as she braced herself against the sturdy ebony wardrobe in front of her, the world was spinning and she realized she had been holding her breath for an unknown amount of time.

Indeed, her father had taught her well, and now more than ever she was grateful for his tutelage. The painful memories of her family served to help her remember his teachings though. With great concentration, she evened out her breathing, and pulled her beast back down to the depths of her being. A welcome clarity descended on her then, and she heard the echoes of her father's words coming back to her.

'_Kiyomi, you must keep a firm hold on your emotions when entering battle. Your enemy will use any sign of indecision or fear and turn it into his greatest weapon. You must not let them gain the advantage.'_

It had been one of her hardest lessons to learn. She had always displayed her emotions prominently as a child, something she had learned to control in her older years, but to keep them in line was proving more difficult now than ever. But she had taken his words and mastered them as she did with everything he had taught her. In order to take on Sesshomaru, she would have to rely on all of her father's lessons, for he was indeed a formidable foe. He was cold, calculating and ruthless, so she must be all that and more. A deep cleansing breath helped her to focus on the task at hand, she would have to remain impassive, she needed to get a handle on her rage now before it consumed her and she made a rash decision that could get her killed when she finally did face off with the taiyoukai.

With renewed conviction and clarity, she straightened up her form to her full height. Her control was slowly falling back in to place as she pulled out one of her old kimonos from the back of the wardrobe. It was designed to be worn in battle, the fabric falling loose and it split up to the knees, allowing ease of movement. The familiar colors of the kimono comforted her, deep blue and midnight black, the colors of her kingdom. Yes, it was her kingdom now, and she would be damned if she allowed it to end up as a kingdom of corpses.

Sliding the exquisite fabric over her arms, she then pulled on her armor and fastened it securely before tying the brightly colored obi around her waist. Finally she picked up her mother's sword and slid it partially from it's sheathe, admiring the blue aura radiating off the razor sharp steel. It was a celestial blade, one of the two heirloom swords passed down through her family for generations. She now held them both.

Her mother, Lady Kayo, was the last of the full blooded celestials of the North, their numbers having diminished over the eons. She was her grandfather's only daughter, and was mated to her father, a powerful dragon demon lord from the mainland. Their mating had been one of strategic importance; it helped to secure their ties to the mainland and to provide strong heirs for the North. However, her parent's shared a rare thing among youkai, they loved each other. As powerful as her father was, he was compassionate and just to not only his family, but to his lands as well. He held the other sword, the Kageken, the sword of shadows, the sword that she now held in her possession as well. She had often thought it ironic that they possessed both light and shadow, two elements constantly in opposition.

She blinked slowly, and slid the blade back into it's sheathe and back to it's resting place beside the Kageken. Now it had come time for light and shadow to be together, to take vengeance for their fallen masters.

Making the trek through the massive complex, she came back out into the main courtyard where the smell of decay was already attracting carrion eaters. Her hair, still sticky with dried crimson, waived gently in the cool breeze, bringing the smell of her father's blood once again to her senses. Her nose crinkled and she slowly walked back over to his lifeless body. It did not seem real that he was dead, even the sight of the pool of blood did not serve to make the scene ring any more true.

This was disgusting; she thought, looking at her father's pale form. He was a dragon youkai, yet he looked little different than an average human, except for his malachite hair. However, in his true form he was imposing and fearsome, and her inability to transform was something Kiyomi had once loathed, but she had come to be proud of her celestial blood. It was a magnificent sight, she had only seen his transformation once, when she was very young, but it etched a permanent memory in her mind that was still vivid to this day. He was massive, nearly fifty feet tall and three times that in length. His long slender body was surprisingly agile, and his glistening scales shimmered green or black, depending on which way you looked at him. It drew another painful beat of her heart to remember him in all of his glory. However, she felt a disturbing lack of emotion as she took in the form that had brought her nearly to tears only minutes earlier, it felt like something inside her had died along with her family, and she feared she would never regain it. She crouched down slowly beside him, locking her gaze with his lifeless eyes, now dulled to a washed out grey, which was such a contrast from how they used to glow with his power. Dragging her hand softly over his eyelids, she closed them for the last time, and felt the last bit of her heart shatter into a million pieces.

"I will avenge you father and take vengeance on those responsible for taking my family from me and destroying my home. I will not disappoint you. Your teachings were not lost on me father, and I can only hope that I live up to your expectations as the new Lady of the North." Her voice cracked as she swallowed the lump in her throat.

There was so much more she could say to him, and it pained her that he would not be able to hear how grateful she was to him, or how much she idolized him. She moved her hand from where it rested gently against his face to his hand, still gripping the hilt of his sword with strength unnatural for someone who was dead. With great care, she placed his arm over his chest, the silver blade in his grasp glittered in the dying sunlight. A pulse came from her back, and she pulled Kageken out from it's sheath and passed it in front of her eyes. If her father had still possessed the sword, she believed that the outcome of this battle would be much different. Now, _she_ would show them the strength of the North.

"You and I have much work to do" She said, her words practically dripping with hatred. A malevolent smirk crossed her lips as she thought of the terror her enemies were about to face.

The first encampment she came across never stood a chance. Like an unstoppable wave, blood ran thick across the ground and her ears were alight with the screams of terror seconds before silence crept over the camp. The broken spears and swords of the soldiers would serve as fine pikes to display the severed heads of the nearly one hundred soldiers she had managed to destroy in merely a few minutes. She would take all of the fear and the pain they had caused to her lands and amplify it to a gruesome level, permanently etching into their bodies the repercussions of such a vile act. It was a shame they did not suffer more, but she would save the elaborate tortures she had envisioned for them for their disgraceful leader. Yes, Sesshomaru's punishment would be something far worse than even he could imagine, the thought made her devilish smile she had worn the whole time grow even wider.

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><p>The sound of tiny footsteps racing over bamboo floors echoed throughout the vast castle. A green imp holding a staff nearly three times his height pushed stubborn nobility out of his way with a growl, only seeking to find his lord and worrying exactly how he would deliver this news to him.<p>

And worrying about what his punishment would be. How he hated that his lord did not believe in the mantra 'don't kill the messenger.'

Sesshomaru was not one to trifle with, and this news was most disturbing to say the least, so he feared the retribution for both those responsible and for himself. Finally reaching his destination, the great hall, he took a moment to compose himself and drew in a few slow breaths. His lord had most certainly sensed him already but he did not want him to see the state he was in at the moment.

Much to his surprise, the massive doors opened silently, and Jaken was left staring up at the impassive face of his lord, Sesshomaru, the Lord of the West. Composing himself the best he could and cursing his incessantly quaking legs, he followed his lord as he silently walked back and sat on the grand dais at the far end of the room.

"Jaken, what news do you have?"

The small imp tried in vain to swallow the lump the size of a grapefruit that had lodged in his throat. Oh how did he always get stuck with delivering news of this sort? Sometimes he thought he was deliberately volunteered by the generals, and little did he know that he was right. All who had served under Sesshomaru knew of his legendary cruelty, although since the small girl Rin had came back with him to the castle many years ago, it had become more lax. Although by anyone else's standards he was still a fearsome leader who rules with an iron fist, having no tolerance for weakness or insubordination, and dispatching those who displeased him with ease and without remorse

"Milord, there is word from our scouts." The shaking in his legs only seemed to magnify as he pondered on the best way to tell Sesshomaru his news.

A single word was all it took before it started spilling out from his mouth in a most unpleasant way.

"Jaken…"

"Well milord, your armies are being slaughtered. They have found three battalions so far, each one more bloody than the last. There were heads on spikes and their skin was pealed from their bodies…"

His voice trailed off as a low growl emanated from Sesshomaru's chest, vibrating the very floor beneath his feet. Jaken braced himself for impact, and wondered what it would be this time. Would he be kicked? Stepped on? Maimed beyond recognition?

But his fears were replaced with grave concern as his lord merely walked past him, his hand gripping Bakusaiga fiercely. Whoever was responsible for this should start praying to every Kami they knew that they would have a quick death, however Jaken considered that this act would get them no mercy from Sesshomaru.

He watched with awe as his master leapt through the nearby shoji screen door and turned into a brilliant ball of white light.

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><p>The smell of burning wood and roasting meat led her right to them. It was the last battalion on the outskirts of the Western lands, and after this she would make her move on the main force and the castle of the West.<p>

She could almost taste Sesshomaru's blood, and reveled in the image of it oozing down her blade.

But now she needed to focus on the task ahead. From their voices she could estimate there were around seventy soldiers, mostly demons with some humans mixed in. A solitary voice slowly drifted to her ears and the words spoken made her blood boil.

"Eat hearty men! The battle of the North was a great victory for us, and we will be greeted as heroes when we arrive home in the West!"

A resounding cry echoed out through the forest, but stopped abruptly when a lone figure emerged from the tree line.

As with all the other camps, she had her malicious smile on her face that had become so engrained on her features since she had left the castle. She relished the fact that she was able to take out vengeance so efficiently, and it gave her great joy to know they were paying for their sins in the worst possible way.

"So, you think the slaughter of hundreds that had no warning was a victory? Only cowards would stoop so low. I wonder how well you will do when your enemy is expecting you?" Her voice was low and measured, belaying all the deadly emotions behind it.

What she could only presume to be the captain stood up and gave her a puzzled look. It disappointed her slightly, usually they would already have fear cloaking their scents, but it seemed this battalion was heartier than the rest. So be it, perhaps it will prove more interesting to be able to let the fear consume them slowly.

The sounds of blades scraping earth rung in her ears, as she saw the soldiers collectively turn to look at her, casting apprehensive glances back at their captain to see what his command was.

"Wench, if you know what is good for you, you would turn around and withdraw your pathetic threats before I throw you to my men!"

"Try." The word oozed out of her mouth with such cold loathing that it made several soldiers eyes widen at its intended challenge.

She lowered her chin slightly and the light from the fires caught her eyes and made them glimmer with malevolence, but the captain was still not impressed.

"Alright, if that's what you want, then we will be more than happy to oblige."

All of the males were coming at her at once, they were indeed well trained but foolish. She flared her aura, a frightening violet cloud rising up and swirling around her as she grasped the hilt of Kageken. Finally the fools realized exactly what they were dealing with, stopping suddenly and leveling fearful gazes on the demoness in front of them.

"Shadow Strike."

The words were barely out of her mouth when the swirling aura that surrounded her consumed the blade and made it glow with a dark purple hue. The unnatural light crackled with fearsome energy, sending jagged sparks into the air surrounding her, making the soldiers retract slightly at its presence. An unearthly growl echoed throughout the clearing and vibrated the ground below them as she plunged the blade into the soft earth at her feet.

For a split second all was quiet, the soldiers looked around in confusion and tightened their white knuckle grip on their swords. Kiyomi stood there for a moment, delaying her attack and enjoying their panic, she could only imagine this was how they felt before they slaughtered the North. The power was intoxicating, and now they would feel the pain they put her family and countrymen through.

A slight twist of her arm was all it took to shatter the ground beneath her feet, the tremor racing out and splitting the ground, radiating out with fearsome speed towards the soldiers. As it reached its culmination, a massive terrifying dragon cloaked in shadow rose up from the fissure in the earth, long black tendrils of smoke exuding from it flared nostrils as it's translucent form descended on the men, killing half of them instantly before they even had a chance to run.

The others saw their comrades being evaporated in the attack and tried to make a run for it. A cruel, hollow laugh sounded behind them, as Kiyomi pulled her sword out of the soft earth and began to chase after them.

She came upon the captain first, the bold male who had dared to challenge her. In an instant, she had sunk her claws into the tender flesh of his shoulder and forced him to the ground. His claws gripped the earth in a vain attempt to get away and he was thrashing below the weight of her body. Kiyomi grabbed him by his left arm and pulled him over on his back with such force that she heard the joint pop, earning a painful howl from the bear youkai.

Her boot was quickly shoved into his windpipe, causing his cry to sputter out and his hands rose up to claw at her leg, drawing rivulets of blood but she did not feel the pain. Putting more pressure on his constricted windpipe, she bent her knees and lowered herself merely inches from his face. The lack of oxygen had caused his attacks to be more sporadic, now he was focusing more on freeing himself from her grip. The dying firelight caused her fangs to shimmer and her eyes were rimmed in ebony as she brought the tip of her sword down into his windpipe. The splatter of blood covered her fingers and stained her face, but did nothing to temper her evil smirk.

"Unlike my family and my comrades, you will know who I am. I am Kiyomi, lady of the North and the last remaining heir of Lord Eiji and Lady Kayo!" She drew in a breath and repositioned her hand on the hilt of the sword, readying for the final blow.

But something in her senses stopped her, and she sidestepped the massive sphere of powerful green energy barreling towards her just in time. It consumed the body of the captain and barreled into the surrounding tree line with devastating force, sending showers of splinters and smoking chunks of bark towards her. She knew who it was before she even turned; there was no mistaking the enormous aura that was pulsing with rage behind her. She had wondered if he would indeed end up coming to her or play the coward's role and make her come to him.

"Lord Sesshomaru, how good of you to show up." She turned on her heels, facing him fully and brought the blade level with her face, the polished steel mirroring the ebony blackness her eyes had turned to. In that moment, she caught the icy golden eyes that seemed to dance with malevolence in the dying firelight, beckoning her to make the next move.

"It saves me the trouble of hunting you down."

* * *

><p><strong>Yay! First chapter done! Sorry it was kind of gory there for a bit, but this fic is rated M for a reason, especially in later chapters. I also have an amazing comission done of my OC Kiyomi on my Da account. Anyone familiar with Deviant Art should know who the awesomely talented Animaker131 is and she was the genius behind the comission looking so awesome. Here is the link for those who are interested: <strong>

**inugirl85 (dot) deviantart (dot) com/art/Kiyomi-Lady-of-the-North-206531745?q=gallery%3Ainugirl85&qo=2**

**So is still being stupid with it's links, so just copy the above into your browser, replace the (dot) with a . and remove the spaces. If you can't get it, just go to deviant art and my name on there is inugirl85 and it is right there on my profile. Hope you all enjoyed and I will see you next update! **


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